Staff Spotlight: Marci Myers, development assistant

This occasional series features Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) staff members. Read Staff Spotlight #1 about Lynn Veurink, #2 about Vanessa Derrow, #3 about Betty Lee, #4 about Sarah Gant, #5 about Tony Brenneman, #6 about Jennifer Ulrich, #7 about Brinton Domangue, #8 about Jon Styer, and #9 about Christina Harman.

Marci Myers ‘84 graduated with a social work degree from EMU, and has worked in a variety of roles here – from admissions counselor to bible and religion administrative assistant to her current position of development assistant. She also spent 12 years as a stay-at-home mom, raising her three daughters, which she describes as the most important work of her life. 

Myers maintains an impressive array of hobbies, too, from baking to researching genealogy to the occasional stare-down with a grizzly bear while out hiking. A fun fact about her: in 1917, her great-grandfather, Samuel Grant Shelter, was repeatedly asked to become the first president of then-Eastern Mennonite School, but turned it down each time!

Pennsylvania roots and Pig Latin

I was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania,, and lived there until I left for college at the age of 17. I attended Johnstown Christian School for my elementary, middle and high school years, with nine people in my graduating class, so coming to EMU seemed huge to me at the time! I remember thinking, “Wow, all these Mennonites in one place!”

I am the youngest of three sisters and have three daughters of my own. I like to tell people how much my sisters picked on me growing up and would often speak in “Pig Latin” so that I didn’t know what they were saying!  As I got older, I eventually learned how to speak Pig Latin, so they finally accepted me into their sister club. (If you’re not familiar with Pig Latin, ask Lori Gant in the facilities management office about it sometime!) 

My dad was a deacon in our church and eventually became a pastor. He and my mom enjoyed being up front at church and would often have our family sing together. There was a lot of eye-rolling on my part every time they made us sing; their attempts to turn me into an outgoing, upfront kind of person failed. To this day, I would much rather work behind the scenes and not be in the limelight. Maybe the Kaufman Family Singers would be famous today if only I had cooperated! 

‘Making my faith my own’

My years as a student at EMU challenged me and pushed me to make my faith my own and not just something that was handed to me from my Mennonite parents. Calvin Shenk quickly became a favorite professor and I managed to fulfill my elective credits with his classes. “World Religions” and “Anthropology & Christian Mission” classes still stand out in my mind even after over 35 years. But, even more than that, Calvin was someone who affirmed me and went out of his way to thank me for my insightful papers and my good listening skills. That went a long way for this shy introvert.

I graduated from EMU in 1984 with a social work degree and at that time social work jobs were few and far between, so I took what I thought would be a temporary job as an EMU admissions counselor. I ended up loving that role and spent many hours traveling all over Virginia recruiting students. I continued working in the admissions office for four and a half years until our first daughter, Jessica, was born.

Raising kids and returning to EMU

We welcomed two more daughters, Kristen and Emily, into our home and I savored the next 12 years that I was a full time, stay-at-home mom. I now consider that to have been the most important work of my life. 

When Jessica wanted to move from the public school system in sixth grade to Eastern Mennonite School, we decided that it was time for me to head back to work. I came back to EMU, taking a part-time administrative assistant job in the Bible and religion department, which allowed me to be home with our daughters in the summer months. A few years later, my work increased to full-time when I added a part time job at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. 

Then in 2006, I received a tap on the shoulder to take a position in the development office as a special events assistant. Planning events was something new, but I accepted the challenge and thoroughly loved using my organizational skills in this way. My role has evolved since then and I’ve since added other administrative tasks. Planning events still continues to be the favorite part of my job, however.

I feel totally blessed that our three adult daughters and their families are all currently living in the Shenandoah Valley. I especially love being Nana to Jackson and Asher and am thrilled that our first granddaughter will be arriving in late August. Let the spoiling continue! 

I loved the process of seeing my three little girls transform into beautiful women and eventually become three of my best friends! I am proud of their successes in their roles as teacher, counselor and nurse, and now Jessica’s current role as a stay-at-home mom. And I am, of course, very pleased that they all chose EMU for their undergraduate and graduate degrees! I recently read this quote that I resonate with: “Hanging out with your grownup kids is like visiting the best parts of your life.”

Marci-about-town

I am an active member of Zion Mennonite Church and am currently the chair of the Gifts & Appointments Committee. I also chair the Hospitality Committee, which is more fun than work for me. I love spending time creating in the kitchen and especially enjoy hosting guests in our home. I am always looking for an excuse to bake something! I love that my passion for creating in the kitchen passed along to my daughters and that Emily even made over 300 cupcakes for her own wedding. 

When I’m not in the kitchen, you might find me getting my hands dirty in what my husband, Daryl, calls our “salsa” garden. Or you might find me soaking in the beautiful mountain scenery on a long walk, watching a Nats baseball game or getting lost in my newest book. I also love to travel and have visited 15 countries and almost every state. My happy place is at the beach but I have also enjoyed many trips to the mountains of Glacier National Park in Montana.

One particular trip is especially memorable because of coming face-to-face with a grizzly bear! We were about a half mile away from our starting point after a full day of backpacking and saw him as we rounded a bend in the trail. We were always trained to curl up in a ball on the ground but, instead, we slowly retreated, backing around the corner where we came from. We were too scared to keep going but there was only one way to our car! We were in panic mode and couldn’t think what to do next. I clearly remember my brother-in-law madly stuffing peanuts into his mouth because he didn’t want the bear to smell them! 

It wasn’t too long before some other hikers came through and we warned them what was around the bend but they didn’t seem phased by it. We followed them and could no longer see the bear. Apparently that particular bear wasn’t hungry that day! We were weary from a full day of hiking, but somehow the adrenaline kicked in and we hiked the remainder of the trail at full speed!